My Little Tinderlock: Friendship is Magic
by ArkNoMane
Summary: A young man finds himself taken to Equestria, a world very different from his own. Will he be able to discover the magic of friendship, or will he end up disappointing himself? Follow his adventures in My Little Tinderlock: Friendship is Magic.


_**Author's note: I made this with some help from my older brother, who is an avid brony. Some dialogue and references come from him. I hope you enjoy this little project of mine. Criticism is fine, this youngster needs all the help.**_

_**Also: My Little Pony: FiM is owned by Hasbro, and developed by Lauren Faust. **__**Zebstrika, Black Beauty, Shadowmere, and others belong to their respective owners.**_

/)^3^(\

* * *

My Little Tinderlock

Prologue - 1

**In a dorm room, 10pm**

_My Little Pony, My Little Pony_

_Ahh ahh ahh ahhh…_

_My Little Pony_

_I used to wonder what friendship could be…_l

"What's the deal with this My Little Pony stuff anyways? It's just another girl show if you ask me." Robin said.

"Says the guy wearing the pink pajamas." Ryan replied, laughing at Robin. This got him a light punch on the shoulder.

"Don't be so stereotypical about it, the show is 'girl-oriented', but it doesn't necessarily mean it sucks." He continued "It's not cheesy, yet still a show for kids. Even though the morals to be learned are basic, still, you could learn a thing or two."

"Meh." The pink pajama clad Robin replied. He really wasn't interested "Besides, how could a kid's show teach me about friendship? Nothing."

Ryan groaned. "You have to try and open up sometime, y'know? I know you have your reasons. The being socially awkward, moody, childish, y'know, stuff like that. But my point is, even if you don't watch this, you shouldn't limit your good side to me."

Robin ignored what Ryan said, instead focusing on the TV. "I know." He half-heartedly said.

"Sometimes, I try to tell myself that what you're saying is true. You never stay true to that."

A short silence.

"That hurts you know." Robin turned to his companion. His face was a wrestling match of anger and sadness. "I try my best. But somehow, I find myself being too frank, too honest, sometimes I say hurtful things, getting irritable, raising my voice for no reason, and other things. Sometimes I get angry at other people's happiness because I'm jealous. Maybe I'm a cynic, and maybe I'm traumatized, and maybe I got too hurt my sensitivity became insensitivity, or maybe I'm just too smart for my own good."

He stopped, catching his breath, tears now welling in his eyes. "Smartass." He said to himself, laughing a bit. Ryan stayed silent beside him.

"I just want to be accepted. For me being myself, not some perky personality I made up during '_those years_'. I had no one because no one understood me, no one even bothered to try." He started to cry. "Then that sick activity happened. That note thingy? Ms. Anderson's class?"

"Looking back, I don't even know why she does that." Ryan said, smiling sheepishly. "Um, sorry, continue."

"So, I brought no notes because I didn't want to say I hated somebody, even though it was anonymous. I didn't even bring notes for the people I liked; I just gave them a friendly nod and a smile." He stopped for a moment, sniffed, wiped off some tears and continued.

"And then I got the notes addressed to me, and they were bad. _Real bad_." Robin emphasized the last part. Ryan reached out and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"I guess you could hate someone, b-b-but…" Robin sobbed. "I'm not a bad person… As I reflected on it, I really wasn't. I just had some quirks, some flaws that you could call, in a way, bad. The alpha bitches were the worst. What Ms. Anderson did afterwards was also the worst."

"You really don't have to say this again, I know what happened." Ryan said, half-hugging Robin.

"But you weren't there! You weren't…" he replied, wiping his cheeks before continuing. "Ms. Anderson allowed me to go out. So there I was just outside the classroom, punching the wall in frustration. They didn't know me, I reasoned, they didn't. Then, the alpha bitch came walking in, along with her posse. For no good reason she gets into a screaming match with me. The posse chipped in too. After a while, I was glad Ms. Anderson got control of the situation, getting us inside the classroom."

He scratched his head. "I don't remember what happened next, but soon everybody was voicing their opinions about me." More sniffles.

"That was long ago, come on man…" Ryan shook him.

"No, you're going to hear this." More tear-wiping, sniffling, sobbing. "Almost everyone disliked me, someone even insulted my intelligence. _The nerve. _Thos_e_ who I thought who were on good terms with me really weren't. Even those who preached love and tolerance, some kind of religious people they were. Only one had a different opinion, he said that I can get on his nerves, but he made it a point that he was okay with me. He quickly got ostracized after class. I was overwhelmed by all the negativity, even before the last person was finished, I ran out." Robin's crying intensified, leaning on Ryan's shoulder.

"And that's when you found me." Ryan said.

It was a short while after Robin calmed down to be able to talk again. Wiping some leftover tears from his eyes, he looked over to the TV. 'It wouldn't hurt to try', he thought.

"This show is nice. Good characters" He said, hugging Ryan. "Though I really could use a rest from all that crying."

"Your loss crybaby." Ryan replied, both of them laughing lightly. He then reciprocated the hug. "Now get off of me, we'll go and watch this tomorrow."

As the two lay down in their beds after their evening rituals, thoughts ran through their heads.

Ryan really wanted Robin to be converted, so he could introduce him to his brony friends. Those guys picked up the essence of the show, and weren't far away age-wise. They would welcome Robin with open arms, it could… No, it _would_ make him happy. If he could make Robin happy, then he himself is happy.

'Cheesy, but it's always that way.' Ryan thought.

Robin thought a lot about that My Little Pony world. All that color, all the ponies, all the _friendship_. Sounds like a wonderful place to live in; too bad he and Ryan aren't ponies.

'I wish I were a pony, a unicorn! Just like the plushie my big sister made.' he thought to himself, smiling. "I don't know what Ryan wants though, just make him a pony too!"

As if on cue, he was interrupted when he saw a bright light, a shooting star, pass by his bedside window.

"Shooting star," he whispered to himself. "I wish I could be in Eques-what was it again? Oh, Equestria. I wish I could be in Equestria."

Lying down, he bid Ryan a good night. "Good night bro."

"Yeah, you too."

And they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Discovery - 2

Robin felt a change in his sleep, this wasn't his bed and he wasn't lying down. The bed felt _very_ comfortable, and there were also feathers draped around him. He was quite uncomfortable under his skin, quite, _furry_? What.

"Oh?" a sweet voice said. Robin felt the feathers on him move away.

No matter how badass he thinks he is, Robin was scared. He slowly opened his eyes. A large white pony looked at him with concerned magenta eyes. It didn't look anything like any pony he had ever seen before. It had a brightly colored coat and large, expressive eyes. The pony towered over him, seemingly a cross between a unicorn and a Pegasus. Robin liked its long multicolored mane, billowing in a non-existent wind. He had no way to tell, he was no pony, but he thought that this winged unicorn was incredibly pretty.

"H-h-hello..?" Robin's voice cracking slightly as he blushed. _What the heck? Why am I blushing? Argh!_ he thought.

"Hello there, my little pony." The Pegasus unicorn replied. "Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you here?"

Pony. _Pony? _What.

Robin looked at his body. _Fuck, I tempted fate. No more wishing on a star for me,_ he thought.

Where he expected his body to be, was the body of an equine, a pony to be exact. He wanted to freak out really bad, but decided against it. He wished for this didn't he?

"I'm Robin. I-I came from um, uh, Earth… and I was human, before this." Robin said softly, looking down.

"Nice to meet you Robin," the Pegasus unicorn said, smiling at the little pony. "I'm Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria." She leaned in to look at his face.

_Oh, so she's a princess,_ he thought. _And she's so pretty. Those legs go on forever…_ he shook his head, removing the thought.

"T-t-thank you, um, princess." He stammered, smiling weakly at her. "If you don't mind, can you send me back home?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that child." The princess had a sad look on her face. "Not much is known about otherworldly travelers."

Robin was sad at the thought, but still happy. He's glad that he was able to leave that dark world that he called home.

He sighed. _Home._ He missed Ryan already, he would've been so happy if he was here.

No matter how hard Robin tried, he just couldn't keep up his poker face. Sadness shadowed his features.

"Cheer up, my little pony. I'll do whatever it takes to help you find your way home." Celestia said.

"But we've just met, and you don't even know me. Why help a stranger?"

"I can't tell the future, but I can sense it." the princess said, moving to Robin's side and wrapping him with her wing. "And I feel that you'll do just fine."

Robin looked away, humbled by all she said. "Thank you, princess."

Celestia giggled. "Now, would you like a tour around my castle?" she asked.

"Yes, please!" he replied, his eyes filled with excitement. "But first, a mirror!"

The winged unicorn laughed at his sudden outburst. "Here you go." Her horn flashed with a glowing aura, which also covered the nearby full-length mirror in the room. She placed it in front of Robin.

Robin was amazed at the display of magic, but the feeling was dampened quickly. 'It's a fantasy show for crying out loud, no need to be amazed.' He thought to himself.

'Now, back to business.' He then focused on the pony on the other side.

_Oh, my, gosh! I'm so pretty!_ he said to himself, grinning, moving his head side to side. The princess smiled at him.

He discovered that he was a unicorn, his white horn poking out from a wavy, fiery orange mane with lighter streaks. It had some little curls poking out at the shorter areas. His hair dropped all the way down to his shoulder, making him look girly. His face didn't help either, the structure similar to the princess'.

His coat was white with a hint of orange, similar to the rosy white of the princess. His eye color remained the same, except it was a deeper shade, and brighter.

"Wow, my build is also girly." He said, looking down at his, um, body.

"Done?" the princess asked.

"Yes, princess." He replied, nodding.

The princess began to leave the room, which was in essence, a large office with a bed in the middle. Robin tried to follow her, but remembered his predicament with… his _hooves._

_Hooves_. _So, how to do this?_ Robin moved them around. He managed to get up and stay on his hooves. It felt unnatural for him, he assumed it would be like being down on your hands and knees, but it didn't. His forelegs still felt like his arms, but they were very different.

He stared at his front hooves, and tried to move them as he would his arms. After a cautious first step, he unexpectedly lost his balance and fell forward on his chin. Princess Celestia laughed nicely.

"It seems you aren't accustomed to your new form just yet. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually." She told Robin, as she used her magic to help him get back up to his hooves.

As Robin tried his first steps, the princess casually leaned over to look at Robin's behind.

"Hey!" he snapped at the princess, jerking away and almost losing his balance. He blushed.

"Oh no dear, I was just checking to see your cutie mark." She explained, trying to calm the little unicorn down. She presented her cutie mark to him, a sun placed on her flank.

"Cutie mark?" the little pony inquired, looking back at his flank. "There's nothing. It's blank."

After a small flash and a pop, a small sealed scroll appears in front of the princess' head.

"Well, I guess you have to earn it still. I'll explain it later." The princess smiled, and then turned to read the letter. "Hmm, dearest teacher… Is about to happen… Night Mare Moon… Eternal night… Prophecy… Twilight Sparkle." she mumbled while reading.

Robin stood there in confusion. _Night Mare Moon? Twilight Sparkle? Eternal night and a prophecy? Sounds grim. What were those things?_ Robin wished he had paid attention to the episode they were watching yesterday. He couldn't make sense of what the princess was saying.

"What was that you just read?" he asked, as the princess throws a sealed scroll into the fireplace.

"Oh, that? It's a reminder of my royal duties." She then had a disappointed look on her face.

"It appears that we can no longer go on the tour of the castle." She continued.

"Why?" Robin asked, imitating a disappointed kid.

"Duty calls." She pointed to a stack of paper on a nearby table. "And _you_ have some friends to make, in Ponyville."

Robin really wasn't accepting of the fact that the princess was sending her away. He wanted to spend more time with his appointed mother figure. He gave out a sigh and just nodded.

"Don't worry Robin, we'll see each other soon." She smiled. Robin looked into her eyes, he couldn't read them.

He nuzzled against her, taking in her warmth. She reciprocated the act. It was a heartfelt moment, for sure.

**A few minutes later**

The princess escorted him down the castle, filling in Robin with the details he needed to know. Cutie marks, Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, and other various topics.

He was quite surprised when she said that she was at least one thousand years old. _Wow, that's a long time._

After all a lot of stumbling, the princess began to assist him while he walked. Soon after, the princess let two servants assist him as he walked.

Robin found the experience quite fun. The servants were unsure if he was a member of the royal family or an offspring of the princess, due to them not seeing him before and his resemblance to the princess. This led to nervous behavior, and unexpected bows. The nobles, politicians, and guards they passed by behaved similarly.

After passing through numerous, beautiful halls and corridors, they finally got into a courtyard. In the middle, a golden chariot waited.

"Remember, be nice to Twilight Sparkle." She told Robin, like a mother reminding her child to be nice at school. She had Robin outfitted with a white robe, so people wouldn't notice that he didn't have a cutie mark. She tugged at it, checking if it was snug and fit.

He nodded, and the princess levitated him into the chariot. The chariot, pulled by gold armored Pegasi, began to fly away.

"Farewell dear, see you soon!" she waved.

Robin waved back, a little sad because he was first pony he ever met. Still, he was excited to see who this 'Sparkle' is.

He took time to inspect the surroundings. The world looked more or less the same, albeit more bright and colorful. The city was beautiful and shining, _and… what was it called again? Oh yes, Canterlock_. It looked absolutely beautiful, with the sun, stars, and moon motifs. The whole city was embedded on the side of a mountain, right beside huge waterfalls. Also, lots of literal ivory towers with golden spires dwarfed the city. There was so much scenery porn, Robin couldn't help but shed a tear.

A short while into the flight, they slowed down and descended beside a relatively small tower. He could see a, um, he couldn't decide what the color was but he'll stick with purple. He saw a purple unicorn and small purple dragon waiting for them. Preparing for the ensuing conversation…

On touchdown, the two approached the chariot.

"Hi there, you must be, um, Midnight Sparkle." He greeted her. _Wait a minute_. _That came out wrong. What was her name again?_ he asked himself.

"It's Twilight Sparkle, now scoot over." She said rudely to Robin. She sat beside him in the chariot. Robin lowered his eyebrows in annoyance.

"Excuse her, she's just a bit off today." The purple dragon told Robin. He reminded Robin of Spyro. "I'm Spike. You must be the 'Robin' Princess Celestia mentioned in the letter."

Sparkle had a worried look on her face. "Yes." He replied frankly, helping Spike up the chariot.

"Let us be on our way, kind sirs." Robin told the pegasi.

And they went up, up, and away.

* * *

Robin Do – 3

When they were finally out of Canterlot, (Robin discovered it wasn't called Canterlock) Robin decided to look at this 'Sparkle' character more.

She was a unicorn, just like him. A lavender horn though, so coat matches horn. He didn't know what her manestyle was, just a simple straight. Her mane was dark, not black, and maybe hints of blue. She had a long, two colored highlight running down the middle of her hair. One was pink, while the other was purple.

She must've noticed Robin looking and turned away. _Who wouldn't be comfortable? _he thought.

Unlike him she had a cutie mark, present on both her flanks. It was a pink-purple six pointed star, a smaller white star behind it, and the whole thing surrounded by small white stars. Princess Celestia explained the concept of cutie marks to him earlier. Cutie marks, basically, show what a pony's talents are, typically earned when ponies are still colts and fillies. Robin was already a stallion, being a so called 'blank flank' at his age could get him ridiculed by the other ponies. A sad thought, but that's where the robe comes in.

He checked his backside just to be sure. _Completely covered, and tail is out through a hole. Everything's fine_. he smiled.

Spike cleared his throat, garnering the attention of Robin and Sparkle. "So… I'll read the rest of the letter then."

_My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!_

Sparkle, with her mood significantly better, sighed. Robin could now see this, '_Ponyville_' off in the distance.

"Look on the bright side, Twilight. The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?" the little dragon said, trying to cheer up Sparkle.

"Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Night Mare Moon's return." She said with surprising enthusiasm and energy.

"Then... when will you make friends, like the Princess said?" Spike asked her.

There were already going down, right in the middle of Ponyville.

"She _said_ to check on preparations. I am her student, and I'll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends." Sparkle replied. Robin didn't approve of Sparkle declaring her intention of not following the princess' orders, but he didn't say anything.

Touchdown. The two Pegasi whinnied.

The redhead unicorn got down from the chariot, his walking still uneasy but he got the hang of it. He went to the front to give thanks to the Pegasi and bid them goodbye.

Robin looked around, taking in the surroundings. Ponyville was rustic, simple, wooden houses with a good amount of heart décor and flora. He could enjoy himself here, leading a simple life. He then turned around to join Spike and Sparkle.

The two were having a conversation, with a ridiculously pink pony. "…come on Twilight, just try!" Spike gestured to the pink pony.

"Uh… hello?" she said, with something of a sheepish or forced smile.

The pink pony jumps up, gasping dramatically. _Too long too_, Robin thought. The pink pony gallops away.

"Well, _that_ was interesting all right." Sparkle said, now walking away.

"True." Robin added, following her.

The little dragon sighed.

**A few minutes, and a long walk later.**

The three were walking up to a farm, spanning far and wide. _Trees, crops, animals, and the fresh air!_ Robin couldn't remember the last time he got out to a farm. Reminiscing some of his memories, it brought a smile to his face.

Spike was holding a scroll and a pencil in his hands. "Summer Sun Celebration official overseer's checklist. Number one, banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres." He announced, _sorta._

"Let me guess, they have apples here?" Robin muttered. From the name of the place, it was without a doubt.

As they passed by the entrance, a sign with an apple symbol carved on it, they suddenly heard somepony from the right.

"Yeehaw!" an orange pony with blonde hair was there, running up to an apple tree before turning around and bucking it. Apples fall from the tree, landing in wooden buckets. The orange pony then crossed her arms, uh, hooves.

"Well that's mighty efficient." Robin said. He gestured at Sparkle. "Come on, Twilight Sparkle, let's get this over with." He continued, moving over for introductions.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Howdy, my name is Robin…"

The orange pony suddenly yanked his right hoof for a mighty vigorous hoofshake. Furthermore, she used both her front hooves, hurting Robin a bit. He was surprised, but he didn't have anything against the gesture, it was quite endearing.

"Well, howdy-doo, Mister Robin, a pleasure makin' your acquaintance." She greeted, overly enthusiastic, and in a southern accent. "I'm Applejack. We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure do like making new friends!"

He shot a look at Sparkle, while Applejack was still shaking his hoof. "Remind you of anything, Twilight?" he told her sternly, trying to remind her of the 'making friends' part of her tasks. She just makes a weird face, and looks away.

Finally, Applejack releases Robin's hoof, his right foreleg already felt quite sore. He smiled at her and took a quick look at her features.

She had what Robin would like to think to be the pony version of freckles. He liked freckles. She wore a light brown hat; Robin didn't know what type it really was, so he'll stick with cowpony. Her eyes were a bright, lush green. Her mane and tail was blonde, set in a 'ponytail' (Robin laughed at the thought) near the ends. Her cutie mark was three red apples.

_Well I guess that explains it._ He thought.

"So what can I do you for?" she asked them, stepping back and giving a wink. Robin didn't even want to know if it was suggesting anything.

As expected, Sparkle stepped in. She cleared her throat before speaking "Well, I am in fact here to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. And you're in charge of the food?" she inquired.

"We sure as sugar are! Would you care to sample some?"

At that exact moment, Robin's mind signaled him to eat. Can't say no to yourself.

He felt Sparkle about to object, but he cut her off. "Sure do!" bringing forth his best imitation of Applejack's accent.

Applejack smiled and ran over to a nearby rusty triangle and sounding it. "_Soup's on, everypony!_" she hollered.

And then the herd came.

"Woah." Robin said, as a whole family of ponies came over and carried them.

Later on, they drop the three at a gazebo with a table. The three were still visibly shaken from the experience.

Applejack pops up beside them. "Now, why don't I introduce y'all to the Apple family?" she gestured to the area around the gazebo, where her family waited. The various shapes, sizes, and colors were quite a sight. Robin also noticed that there weren't too many boys.

Sparkle tried to refuse. "Thanks, but I really need to hurry-", she got a plate almost shoved to her face.

Applejack started introducing her family members. All the while every single one was bringing something to eat at the table. "This here's Apple Fritter. Apple Bumpkin. Red Gala. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp..." The table was now stacked with a lot of food. She then takes a deep breath. "Big Macintosh," she pointed to a red stallion holding up a cupcake. "Apple Bloom," a yellow filly carrying a cake on her back. "_and_…" Applejack shoves a green apple inside Sparkle's mouth. "Granny Smith," she points to an apple green, elderly pony sleeping on a rocking chair.

"Up'n'attem Granny Smith, we got guests."

Granny Smith snorted a little before waking up. "Wha? Soup's on? Here I come, ah, comin'…" she slowly got up from her chair and walked slowly to Applejack.

Applejack placed a hoof on Sparkle's shoulder. "Why, I'd say you're already part of the family!"

Sparkle spit out the apple in mouth. "Bleh!" she laughed nervously. "Okay, well, I can see the food situation is handled, so we'll be on our way."

This garnered quite a response from the Apple family, as they had sad and disappointed looks on their faces.

"Aren't you gonna stay fer brunch?" the yellow filly called Apple Bloom asked, with a sad face and cute, matching eyes. Robin felt his heart explode by the cuteness. The little filly blinked twice to amplify the effect.

"Sorry, but we have an awful lot to do…" Sparkle replied.

The whole Apple family sighed at her response. Robin glared at Sparkle and elbowed her.

Then she said it, albeit reluctantly. "…fine."

And there was much celebration.

* * *

Rainbows and a Dash of Sparkle – 4

**Back in town, an hour later.**

Robin had his belly full of Celestia knows what. But he was satisfied with all the weird Apple cuisine. And besides, he's already a pony, so no more meat.

"Spike, progress report." said Robin

"Well," Spike unfurled the scroll he possessed "food's all taken care of, next is weather."

Sparkle groaned, not too far behind them. "Ugh… I ate too much pie…"

"Hmm," the baby dragon was in thought "there's supposed to be a Pegasus pony named Rainbow Dash clearing the clouds." They looked around the sky for signs of this, 'Rainbow Dash'. It was pretty cloudy.

"Well, she's not doing a very good job, is she?" By the time Sparkle became Captain Obvious, a Pegasus pony comes crashing into her, sending them both into a mud puddle.

It was a light blue Pegasus.

"Watch where you're going, Twilight." Robin said calmly.

The Pegasus looks at Sparkle and laughs sheepishly. "Uh, 'scuse me?" more sheepish laughter from the Pegasus.

Another bout of sheepish laughter comes from the Pegasus. She flew up in the air, shaking a bit of mud off herself. Robin tried his best to avoid the projectiles.

She laughs once more. "Lemme help you." She flies off into the air, cleans herself in a cloud, and brings back a nearby cloud. She jumps a few times to release the water inside, completely drenching Sparkle.

Even more sheepish laughing from the light blue Pegasus. "Oops, I guess I overdid it. Um, uh, how about this?" she flew down to Sparkle, flying around her until she created a rainbow colored tornado.

She flew away, "My very own patented Rain-Blow Dry! No no, don't thank me, you're quite welcome." She slowly went down to the ground, and got a good look at Sparkle's mane and tail. It wasn't pretty.

The Pegasus literally ROFL'd, Spike also followed suit, joining her on the ground.

Robin facehoofed. "I am not amused."

Sparkle looked extremely frustrated. "Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash." The Pegasus quickly stood up, sending Spike flying.

"The one and only. Why, you heard of me?" she replied, flying up to Sparkle's face.

"Your eyes gave it away." Robin said.

"Why, thank y-what?" she looked confused.

Sparkle shook her head and continued. "I _heard_ you were supposed to be keeping the sky clear." She sighed. Meanwhile, Dash flew up to the cloud she brought and lay down on it.

Sparkle introduced herself. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, and the Princess sent me to check on the weather."

"Yeah, yeah, that'll be a snap." She waved her off. "I'll do it in a jiffy. Just as soon as I'm done practicing."

"Practicing for what?" Sparkle asked.

"The Wonderbolts!" Rainbow Dash pointed at a poster on the wall. It reminded Robin of flight demonstration squads. "They're gonna perform at the Celebration tomorrow, and I'm gonna show 'em my stuff!" she looped de looped off the cloud she was perched on and landed on another one behind it.

"_The_ Wonderbolts?" Sparkles asked, emphasizing the 'the'.

"Yep!"

"The most talented flyers in _all_ of Equestria?"

Robin felt what was coming. _Oh come on, Sparkle. Don't poke the dragon,_ he thought.

"That's them!" Rainbow Dash told Sparkle.

"Pfft, please. They'd never accept a Pegasus who can't even keep the sky clear for one measly day." _Oh, she really did it._

"Hey, I could clear this sky in ten seconds flat." Rainbow Dash declared.

"Prove it."

Rainbow Dash began her flight, _and man, it was breathtaking._

Amazingly, it was proven ten seconds later. The sky was clear of any clouds, and the sun shining freely on Ponyville.

"What'd I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging."

Robin was impressed, because it was either good approximation or incredible skill and speed. He decided to go with both. "Good one, Rainbow Dash. I tip my hat to you." He said, nodding his head a little.

She chuckled. "Thanks, it was nothing."

His companions on the other hoof, were dumbfounded, mouths agape. Dash chuckled again. "You should see the look on your face." She flew over to Sparkle. "Ha! You're a laugh, Twilight Sparkle. I can't wait to hang out some more. You too." She nodded at Robin before flying away.

Sparkle snapped out of it and frowned a little. "You asked for it." Robin shrugged.

"Wow, she's amazing!" Spike said. He then turns to Twilight and laughs at her hair, moving it around.

Sparkle growled, and began walking towards the town hall.

"Twilight's had enough Spike, let's go." Robin picked up Spike, and followed Sparkle.

**Inside the town hall**

The hall was circular and tall. Banners, flowers, and all manner of decorations hung from walls, poles, and posts. A marvelous sight.

"Decorations. Beautiful…" Spike drifted off.

"Yes," Sparkle said "the décor is coming along nicely. This oughta be quick. I'll be at the library in no time. Beautiful indeed."

"Not the décor, her!" Spike pointed at a white unicorn busy with decorating. Even with his limited knowledge of pony beauty in Equestria, Robin could tell that said pony was indeed beautiful. Robin felt quite shy.

Upon closer inspection, her 'white' coat was actually a light gray, though Robin would still prefer calling it white. She had an indigo mane and tail, with large curls. Light blue eyes, with an even lighter blue as eye shadow. Her cutie marks were three blue diamonds.

The unicorn was busy choosing what decorations to use, moving them around with her magic. "No, no, no, oh! Goodness no." she sounds very refined, and British. _Maybe some kind of noble?_

"Hmph, classy." Robin commented, his voice barely a whisper.

"How are my spines? Are they straight?" the little dragon asked, straightening his spines. Sparkle just rolls her eyes.

"Whoa, there loverboy. We have time for that later." Robin said, interrupting him.

Sparkle walked up to her. "Good afternoon-"

The white unicorn cut her off. "Just a moment, please! I'm 'in the zone', as it were. Oh, yes! Sparkle always does the trick, does it not?" Robin snickered a little at this. "Why, Rarity, you are a talent. Now, um, how can I help yo-," Rarity turns around to look at Sparkle, and yelps. "Oh my stars, darling! Whatever happened to your coiffure?"

"Oh, you mean my mane? Well, it's a long story. I'm just here to check on the decorations, and then I'll be out of your hair!"

"Out of _my_ hair? What about _your_ hair?" Rarity said, going behind Sparkle and pushing her.

"Wait! Where are we going? Help!"

"Come on Spike." Robin said, picking up the love-struck dragon.

**At the Carousel Boutique**

Robin and Spike sat at the sidelines, watching Rarity do her thing. At first it was a simple 'I'll fix your hair' thing, then it was 'I'll dress you up! Muawhahaha!'

The two females were going through a lot of different outfits. "No, no, uh-uh. Too green. Too yellow. Too poofy. Not poofy enough. Too frilly. Too… shiny."

Sparkle was then outfitted with jeweled corset, or something, Robin wasn't sure what it was.

"Now go on, my dear. You were telling me where you're from." Rarity said.

Rarity used her mouth to pull a strap on the back of the outfit. Sparkle winced at the tightness. "I've… been sent… from Canterlot… to-" Rarity lets go of Sparkle, sending them flying at opposite directions.

"_Canterlot_?" Rarity asked, picking herself up. "Oh, I am so envious! The glamor, the sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it!" She leaned towards Sparkle. "We are gonna be the best of friends, you and I… _Emeralds_? What _was _I thinking? Let me get you some rubies!" The fashion designer cantered away, searching for said rubies.

Sparkle removed the corset she was wearing. "Quick! Before she decides to dye my coat a new color!" she said to them while running away.

"Come on, little guy." Robin picked up the dragon and tried to walk as fast as he could. He still didn't know the mechanics of anything faster than a walk, so… It really wasn't that fast.

What a weird day.

* * *

In the Night, I hear them gasp – 5

"Um, hey Twilight? I think we should have a rest first, you look tired." Robin told Sparkle, she looked a little stressed out.

"No thanks Robin, the sooner we finish this, the sooner I can go back to my research." Sparkle showed some enthusiasm. "Spike, what's next on the list?"

Spike, currently riding on Robin's back, cleared his throat. "Oh, uh, music! It's the last one!"

The trio hears a choir of birds singing a short distance away. The group investigates from the bushes. A yellow Pegasus with light pink hair was orchestrating the choir of birds, all perched on a small tree. One bird seemed to be off tune, a blue jay. The Pegasus stops the singing and talks to the blue jay. There was another Pegasus there, a dark navy stallion with silver spiky hair.

Robin got in front of Sparkle, "I'll handle this one Twilight, and you need the help." He awkwardly winked at Sparkle.

"I'll let you talk to them, but I'm going with you." Sparkle said. The two slowly approached the Pegasi.

"Now, follow me, please. A-one, a-two, a-one two three-"

"Hello!" Robin loudly introduced his presence, surprising the Pegasus and scaring the birds. _Whoa, didn't mean that to happen, _he thought.

_Remember, be nice. Apologize, state your purpose, and introduce yourself. It'll be fine…_

The Pegasus turns to him, her male companion coming over to her side.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you… and the birds. I'm just here to check up on the music and it sounds great."

The Pegasus says nothing. She just stares shyly at ground and scuffs her hooves. Her companion had a concerned look on his face. An awkward silence follows.

_Okay… awkward. Time to bring forth what the princess taught you!_ He thought. He smiled sheepishly. "I'm Tinderlock*, a member of the princess' court." He smiled and reached out his hoof. A beat. "What are your names?"

"Um… I'm Fluttershy." The female Pegasus replied very quietly. On quick inspection, Robin saw that she had teal colored eyes, and three butterflies as a cutie mark.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Um… My name is Fluttershy." She said, even quieter this time. She even backed away from him. Robin was slightly annoyed by her actions, _but how could he possibly get mad at this timid pony?_

"Sorry girl, you got to speak up."

She talked more, but all he could hear was mouse-like squeaking. For the first time in this conversation, the stallion steps in.

"Uh… Sorry about that ma'am, she's quite shy with strangers." He politely said. He had a cutie mark of a silver coin with wings. His light blue eyes suited him, seemed like a nice guy.

"Tell me about it." Robin said, completely missing the fact that he's been called ma'am.

The male Pegasus laughed nervously. "So… I'm Quicksilver, and this here's Fluttershy." He pointed to himself, and then the girl.

The birds were now beginning to fly back to the tree.

"Oh look, the birds are back… so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!" Robin turned to Sparkle. "Okay Twilight, let's go."

Spike came out of the bushes to meet them. Once Fluttershy saw the dragon, she gasps and flies over to him, knocking over Twilight on the way. "A baby dragon!"

Her shyness was seemingly lost, fawning over the dragon. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's sooo cute!"

"Well, well, well…!" Spike said, enjoying the attention and looking at Sparkle. Spike then crosses his arms. The two male ponies laugh.

"Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful I, I just don't even know what to say!" Fluttershy flew up in joy.

A purple glowing aura envelops Spike, levitating him over to Robin's back. "Well, in that case we'd better be going." Sparkle told the yellow Pegasus. The three began walking away.

"Wait, wait!" Fluttershy walked up just behind Robin, with Quicksilver not far behind. "What's his name?" she asked.

"I'm Spike."

"Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?"

"Well, what do you wanna know?"

"Absolutely _everything_"

Sparkle groaned, dismayed at Fluttershy's questioning.

"Well… I started out as a cute little purple and green egg…" Spike started narrating his whole life story. Robin wasn't interested, tuning him out while he spent time in deep thought.

He really craved for more pie.

**In front of the library**

"…and that's the story of my whole entire life! Well, up until today. Do you wanna hear about today?" Spike finally finished talking about his _entire_ life story. It was quite short actually.

"Oh, yes, please!" Fluttershy responded.

Before Spike could continue his storytelling, Sparkle abruptly came into a halt. Robin almost sent Spike off his back.

Sparkle turned to Fluttershy and Quicksilver. "I am so sorry, how did we get here so fast?" judging from her tone, she wanted to get rid of the two. "This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep."

"No I don't-whoa!" Spike tried to protest, but he was quickly interrupted by Sparkle. She subtly bumped her hip into Robin's, sending Spike to the ground.

"Aww, wook at dat, he's so sweepy he can't even keep his widdle bawwance!" Sparkle said in a weird baby talk voice.

Fluttershy scoops up Spike, flying of the ground a little. "Poor thing, you simply must get into bed…" She then flew inside the library.

Sparkle runs in, rudely making Fluttershy leave. "Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, g'night!"

Robin managed to get in before Sparkle slammed the door shut.

It was pitch black inside.

"Huh. Rude much?" Spike said.

"Yeah, Twilight. That was pretty rude of you." Robin added.

"Sorry guys, but I have to convince the Princess that Night Mare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time!"

_Something about the Princess and that Night Mare Moon he heard about? Ooh, the plot thickens._

Sparkle continued. "I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of _crazy_ ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?"

Robin swore he saw Sparkle's eyes rotate in different directions.

The light suddenly flicks on. "_Surprise!_"

Sparkle and Spike jumped up in surprise. Robin bit his lip to stop himself from yelling out.

The three were surrounded by dozens of ponies. Streamers and balloons drop everywhere, and somepony blows a party whistle near Sparkle's face. Sparkle groaned.

A pink pony came up to them. "_Surprise!_" she yells. Robin noticed that this was the same pony from earlier today. She had pink, puffy, curly hair, a pink coat, and cerulean eyes. Her cutie mark was three balloons, one yellow and two blue.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you!" referring to Sparkle. "Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?" she asked Sparkle, jumping up and down, overflowing with energy. Her voice was _very _annoying.

_Oh look, it's that pink pony again. And she won't stay still. And she won't shut up either._

"Very surprised. Libraries are supposed to be _quiet_." Sparkle answered her, barely finishing before Pinkie talked again.

"Well, that's silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet?" The pink pony leaned into Sparkle. Sparkle shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I mean, duh, bo-ring!"

Sparkle walked off silently, Pinkie still talking to her. Robin trailed them. "Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all," she repeats her dramatic gasp. "Remember? Y'see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean _everypony_ in Ponyville!"

More groaning from Sparkle. Sparkle got near a table and poured herself a drink. Pinkie went on and on. "And if you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, then I had an idea, and that's why I went," Pinkie dramatic gasp, go! Robin shook his head in frustration.

Robin thought he saw a wall-eyed pony looking at them. Robin shuddered, _what the hell was that?_

Sparkle placed a straw in her cup, and took a long sip, ignoring Pinkie. "I just throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville!" The ponies they met earlier that day popped up out of nowhere.

"See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!"

Sparkle stopped drinking and turned around to face the ponies. She didn't look too good.

"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Robin heard a train whistle. Sparkle comically runs up the stairs of the library.

"Aww, she's so happy she's crying!" Pinkie concluded.

Robin checked the cup of Sparkle and took a sip. "Ugh, hot sauce."

Pinkie got the hot sauce bottle and poured some on a cupcake. She then _eats_ this cupcake, getting her some disturbed and awkward looks.

"What? It's good!" she said, her mouth still full.

Robin wasn't in the mood to take part in this celebration. Aside from greeting the six ponies he met today, convincing Rarity and Quicksilver that he wasn't a girl, and ignoring Pinkie Pie, Robin didn't socialize much.

The unicorn decided to go up and do some research on this 'Night Mare Moon', taking an apple pie with him. Upstairs, Sparkle was at her bed, talking to herself. Robin ignored this and went to work.

After staying up all throughout the night, Robin gave up his search for books regarding 'Night Mare Moon'. All he found was a book about a red haired winged unicorn. In summary, this winged unicorn created the world and the ponies, a good read.

He sighed, and took a long look at the window. The full moon shone in the sky, the craters vaguely resembling a unicorn head. "Brand new start, eh? I hope I did well Princess, you too Ryan." He said to himself.

Robin opened the door to the balcony, and sat on a conveniently placed bench. He tried to get some shuteye, despite the loud disco music still blaring from downstairs. But before he could doze off, somepony came onto the balcony with him.

"The other side of the bench isn't taken, if that's what you're asking." Robin said, not opening his eyes.

"Thank you." A male voice said.

"It's just a bench." Robin opened his eyes, looking at his seatmate. A silver maned Pegasus stared back at him.

"It's you, um, Silver… Quicksilver, yes."

"Good evening Sir Tinderlock." Quicksilver greeted. "Tired of the festivities?"

"Not really." Robin answered. "I'm not the one for parties. You?"

"Busy day, not much energy left for these kind of parties." The Pegasus yawned.

"Good reason." the unicorn nodded. "Me? I don't like being around crowds that much."

"Ha, you remind me of Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy, the timid one yes?"

"Yep."

Robin decided to ask around a little. "So, are you… like together or something?" Robin asked. "No offense, but it kinda looks like it."

"No, no, no, it's not like that." Quicksilver blushed. "I'm just a good friend of hers."

Robin had a mental frown in his mind. _Good friends and then boom! Relationship._

"How about you and Twilight? Anything going on there?" the Pegasus asked him.

"Nothing, just met her today. The Princess sent me to keep an eye on her." The unicorn clarified. "And she's pretty, no doubt. From my first impressions, not a very friendly character."

"Maybe she has her reasons, everybody has reasons."

"True."

A beat.

"Hey, you know what? You're the most levelheaded pony I've met here in Ponyville, thanks, for having this decent talk with me." Robin told Quicksilver.

"Nothing to it, I'm here when you need me." Quicksilver said, waving him off a little. "Bring it in, sir." Brohoof. The two chuckled lightly.

"Y'know, the girls can be crazy sometimes, _especially_ Pinkie Pie, but they mean well." Quicksilver said. "You just need to be understanding, and tolerant."

"From what I've seen, they can be _real_ crazy. But sweet."

Quicksilver stood up, and stretched his wings. "Sweet." He smiled, the word somehow reminding him of something.

"I should go, Fluttershy will be looking for me. Rest up for the few hours before sunrise, you'll need it."

There was a look of knowing and concern on Quicksilver's face, Robin nodded at him and tried to get some sleep.

**Half an hour before sunrise**

"Hey, Tinderlock, wake up." Quicksilver shook Robin, waking him up. "Sleep well?"

Robin raised his head slowly. "Ugh. Not really, bad sleep."

"No one ever gets a good night's rest in Pinkie's parties. Come on, I'll fly you down." The Pegasus put his front hooves around the unicorn, Robin braced himself. After a strong flap of Quicksilver's wings, they got off the ground. Quicksilver continued, flying off the balcony and onto the ground.

"Now let's go see the sunrise." Quicksilver said. The two joined the ponies walking towards Town Hall.

**The town hall**

The hall was full to the brim. There were colts, fillies, mares, stallions, ponies of every size, age, and shape. There were so many ponies that Pegasi flew above them, some sitting on poles and ledges. Some ponies stayed on high boxes.

The crowd was anxiously waiting for the Princess to arrive, and chattering about how this Summer Sun Celebration would be so much better than the past ones.

Quicksilver split up from Robin, flying up to assist Fluttershy in the bird choir fanfare.

Robin managed to find Sparkle and Spike amidst the crowd. He approached them, and immediately asked Sparkle a question.

"Slept well, Twilight Sparkle?" he asked, Sparkle turning around to face him. Spike waved at him.

"Oh, it's you Robin." Sparkle lazily replied. "Not good, that music was deafening."

Before Robin could even respond, a familiar perky pony jumped in-between them.

"Isn't this exciting?" Pinkie Pie asked them. Robin and Sparkle rolled their eyes simultaneously. "Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited – well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went," Pinkie_ gasp!_ "But I mean really, who can top that?"

The bird choir sings a short fanfare. A spotlight focuses on a gray haired pony up front.

"Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!"

The whole crowd cheers.

"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!"

Sparkle nervously looks at the moon. Robin notices this, and took a short glance at it. He doesn't notice the unicorn shape fading away.

"And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria… Princess Celestia!"

The birds resume their singing. Curtains pull back in the high box overlooking them. No one was there.

Everypony started chattering nervously.

"This _can't_ be good." Sparkle said.

"Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!" The Mayor said, trying to calm down the ponies.

"Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games! Is she hiding?" Pinkie Pie jumped up and down, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.

"She's _gone_!" Rarity announces. Ponies gasp everywhere.

"Ooh, she's good… Ahh!" Pinkie Pie shrieks. A glowing dark fog appeared. Everypony except the stoics and the informed gasped.

"Oh no… Night Mare Moon!" Sparkle said, cowering. A tall winged unicorn appears out of the fog, resembling Princess Celestia, though rather than light and day this one embodied darkness and night. She had a coat as dark as the night, and a mane like the starry sky. She also had a splotch of purple on her flank, where her crescent moon cutie mark was.

Spike faints, falling off of Sparkle's back.

Robin was worried, _what did this pony do to princess?_ He asked himself.

The winged unicorn smirked. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces." She said with a false sweetness in her voice.

Robin stepped forward and yelled, "_**Stop right there! Who are you, and what did you do with our Princess?**_" he felt like his voice was layered with something booming and loud.

"Yeah, what did you do?" Rainbow Dash backed him up, and tried to fly towards Night Mare Moon.

"Whoa there, Nelly…" Applejack said, pulling Rainbow Dash back by the tail.

Night Mare Moon chuckled evilly. "Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

Pinkie Pie scrunched up her face in concentration, and yelled out, "Um, Black Beauty! How about… Zebstrika! No! Shadowmere! Shadowmere definitely."

The wall-eyed pony Robin saw earlier spoke up, "Are you a muffin?"

"Shut up, Derpy!" Rainbow Dash yelled at her. Robin herped too much he derped.

Night Mare Moon laughed _evilly_. "You fools… Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?"

She flew over to Fluttershy, and was quickly intercepted by Quicksilver. Fluttershy cowered behind the male Pegasus, Quicksilver growling at Night Mare Moon in defiance.

"Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?" Night Mare Moon turned around, staring at Rarity, flicking her chin up with her ethereal mane.

Sparkled stepped forward. "I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Night Mare Moon!"

The crowd gasps.

"Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."

"B-but, you're just an old mare's tale!" Sparkle told her, still in disbelief.

"I am no mare's tale." The winged unicorn said, unfurling her wings.

Once again, she chuckled. _Oh man, I'm beginning to hate evil laughs,_ Robyn thought.

"Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last _forever_!"

Cue evil laughter, indoor lightning, and her hair growing to disturbing lengths.

Robin could feel the fear growing in all of them.

"We're fucked." he said.

Episode end

* * *

*This is the pony name Princess Celestia assigns to Robin. Robin Tinderlock.


End file.
